Review: Shimano Deore XT PD-M8100 SPD Pedals

Skip to content

Back to Reviews

• Reviews
• Pedals

Shimano Deore XT PD-M8100 SPD pedals

• by Mat Brett

UPDATED Mon, Sep 22, 2025 16:43

First Published: Apr 26, 2020

3£99.99

VERDICT:

8/ 10Lightweight and durable SPD pedals that are as good for gravel as they are for mountain biking

Lightweight

Durable bearings requiring little maintenance

Double sided

Other Shimano options are better value

Weight: 340gContact: www.freewheel.co.uk How we test

We thoroughly test every product we review for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced riders that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don’t intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product’s function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

What the scores mean

Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.

• Exceptional
• Excellent
• Very Good
• Good
• Quite good
• Average
• Not so good
• Poor
• Bad
• Appalling

This review contains links to retailers. Purchases made after clicking on those links may help support road.cc by earning us a commission but all of our reviews are fully independent.

Shimano Deore XT PD-M8100 SPD pedals are a durable, lightweight choice, as suitable for gravel riding as they are for cross-country mountain biking.

Mountain bike pedals on road.cc? We asked Shimano’s UK distributor which pedals they’d recommend for gravel riding and they suggested these (along with the PD-M540 SPD pedals we reviewed a few weeks ago), although the gravel-specific GRX groupset contains PD-M530 dual-sided pedals (£44.99) and PD-ES600 (£69.99) with a single-sided binding. In truth, all of these do a great job.

The Deore XT PD-M8100 pedals, which I’m calling M8100 pedals from now on, offer a slightly wider platform than the 540s – we measured them at 59mm x 43mm – for a little extra stability, although in many other ways they’re similar.

The axle is made of tough chromoly steel while the pedal body is forged aluminium alloy. I’ve been using these pedals for two months and there are a couple of faint scratches to the anodised finish, presumably caused by stones that have got stuck in the tread of my shoes, but that’s about it.

There’s a slight amount of wear to the body cover too. Actually, that’s harsh. It’s more that you can see that the pedals have been used rather than that there’s a significant amount of wear. Even if the body cover does wear excessively, which would be ages down the line, it is replaceable.

> SPD-SL v SPD: how to choose the best clipless pedals

The M8100 pedals have a cleat retention mechanism on both sides. The second binding adds a little weight over a single-sided pedal – our M8100 pedals weighed 340g versus a claimed weight of 279g for the single-sided PD-ES600 pedals mentioned above – but there’s no danger of the pedal being the wrong way up because there is no wrong way up. I find a double-sided pedal that little bit easier when you don’t want to take your eyes off the track/trail ahead, but that’s a matter of choice.

> Buyer’s Guide: 7 of the best high-performance lightweight clipless pedals

Engagement is simple once you get your eye in, and it’s easy to adjust the release tension with a 3mm hex key. Little clicks as you do so allow you to equalise the cleat-holding force between the two different sides and left/right. The adjustment bolt that winds in one end of the coil spring has a very deep head so you should never round it out.

One of the best features of the M8100 pedals – and many others in the Shimano line-up – is that you rarely need to worry about the internals. If/when you do need to open them up for re-greasing – which requires just a 17mm wrench – you’ll find miles of thread between the bearing and the outside world.

I’ve been using the M8100 pedals mostly on gravel but also on the occasional stretch of muddy trail, and gloop tends to clear quickly. Any mud that gets onto the cleat retention mechanism usually gets pushed through and out the other side when you stamp your foot in place. I’ve certainly never got them gummed up in use. It could happen, as it could with any pedals, but it’s going to be a rare occurrence here because there’s so little for mud to stick on.

You could easily use these pedals for other types of riding too, of course. Many people like SPDs and shoes with recessed cleats for commuting and other urban use, and these would be well up to the job.

> Buyer’s Guide: 11 of the best clipless pedals

The M8100’s biggest rival among the pedals that we’ve reviewed recently on road.cc is Shimano’s M540, which is cheaper at £62.99. In truth, there’s very little between them in terms of performance, although the M8100 has a slightly wider platform, it’s very slightly slimmer, and it’s about 12g lighter (according to our scales).

The M8100 pedals are super-durable, lightweight and they shed mud well. They’ll likely last an age with minimal maintenance although there are better value SPD pedals in Shimano’s range.

Verdict

Lightweight and durable SPD pedals that are as good for gravel as they are for mountain biking

All the deals displayed on our review pages are pulled from a constantly updating database feed of the best affiliate deals available. The criteria for deciding on what are the best deals is who is offering the lowest, delivered price. In most cases we will be showing the very best deal available online, but sometimes you may be able to find an item cheaper. If you can please feel free to post a link in the comments box below. To find out more about affiliate links on road.cc click here.

road.cc test report

Make and model: Shimano Deore XT PD-M8100 SPD pedals

Size tested: One

Tell us what the product is for and who it’s aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

The PD-M8100 is designed as a cross-country mountain bike pedal.

Shimano lists these features:

* Large pedal platform

* Lower platform height for pedalling stability

* Robust retention claws provide smooth engagement and release

* Customise the entry and release tension settings

* Strong, durable chrome-moly spindle with 8mm hex wrench mount

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Shimano lists:

Binding: Dual sided

Pedal axle material: Chromoly steel

Pedal body: anodised aluminium

Cleat retention adjuster

SM-SH51 cleats and 1mm cleat spacers included

Rate the product for quality of construction: 8/10Rate the product for performance: 8/10Rate the product for durability: 9/10

They’re strong pedals with well-protected bearings. They’ll likely last an age.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable) 8/10Rate the product for value: 6/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Entry/exit is easy, they feel stable in use and they shed mud well. It’s a really strong all-round package.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

High-quality build, well-protected bearings.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Not a lot although, as is often the case, you get slightly better value at lower price points in Shimano’s range.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

The M8100’s biggest rival among the pedals that we’ve reviewed recently is Shimano’s M540, which is cheaper at £62.99. There’s not much to choose between them in terms of performance, although the M8100 has a slightly wider platform, it’s very slightly slimmer, and it’s a little lighter.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? I would.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

These are popular pedals for a reason: they do the job really well. They’re a comfortable 8.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 48 Height: 190cm Weight: 80kg

I usually ride: My best bike is:

I’ve been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: Most days I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding,

Help us to bring you the best cycling content

If you’ve enjoyed this article, then please consider subscribing to road.cc from as little as £1.99. Our mission is to bring you all the news that’s relevant to you as a cyclist, independent reviews, impartial buying advice and more. Your subscription will help us to do more.

Subscribe

• Shimano, Shimano 2020, Shimano Deore XT PD-M8100 SPD pedals, Shimano Deore XT PD-M8100 SPD pedals 2020

Mat Brett

Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he’s riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.

3 Comments

ThreadedOldest FirstNewest FirstBest Rated

3 thoughts on “Shimano Deore XT PD-M8100 SPD pedals”

1. They do spin lovely and I

   They do spin lovely and I have a pair…..I had two. I would say take a look at your current SPD and if you have any damage, clipped a corner etc, buy the 540spds. The Ti axles (i have found) dont take the same level of abuse as the cheaper and not really much lighter XTspds. I have 540s for 10 years. If i treat myself to XT spds, I expect a season racing only.

2. After 4 years with my old 520

   After 4 years with my old 520’s I upgraded to these a few months ago and I must say that they work lovely I defently noticed the bigger contact point, they also look more mtb than the m520’s, so that’s cool to!

3. These are really great pedals

   These are really great pedals. I have a set on my cyclocross and winter/touring bikes. If you have the budget they are a nice upgrade to M580/40s. Lighter, more serviceable and with a larger platform for power transfer.

Comments are closed.

Latest Comments

miekwidnes 38 seconds ago

Absolutely! I have an "ebike" - but a UK legal one So the motor cuts out at 15.5 mph (it makes sense in kph!) and anything after that is just me pedalling a bike that is much heavier that an normal bike and with a motor adding drag so that won't happen. Even in a 20mph zone then I would be pushed to break the 20mph unless it was a steep downhill! Therefore, any "bike" exceeding a 30 mph speed limit is NOT an ebike it is a motorbike - no ifs or buts - it is a motorbike probably unregistered, no MOT, no plate, no insurance and mostly the ride is not licensed and is not wearing a helmet so the laws needed are there already and have been for many years

in: “Very, very few people can break the speed limit on a bike”: James May slams Mr Loophole’s call for clampdown on ‘speeding’ cyclists, claiming problem is with illegal e-motorbikes and “nothing to do with cycling” Paul J 5 minutes ago

Sorry. I wrote that with the implicit assumption the overtaking cyclist had looked and there was nothing coming the other way. I don't see the problem here. Pretty sure the cyclist (Aleix) had visibility to the next corner, could see they could safely pass. I've done many similar passes myself on descents in Spain and Italy. The problem here seems to be the car driver's ego got hurt that a cyclist passed them.

in: Cycling MotoGP star filmed overtaking cars on descent criticised by Lidl-Trek after viral clip attracts controversy Hirsute 9 minutes ago

I also see a lot of cars this winter with numberplates completely obscured with grime.

in: “Very, very few people can break the speed limit on a bike”: James May slams Mr Loophole’s call for clampdown on ‘speeding’ cyclists, claiming problem is with illegal e-motorbikes and “nothing to do with cycling” Geoff H 14 minutes ago

Damned if you do and damned if you don't! If you do, you'll be 'close passed', honked at, cursed at, and told to use the &^%$!! bike path! Drivers 'might' glance slightly over their shoulder ---- maybe, before throwing the door open! I even had one guy throw open his door with a cake in one hand, coffee in the other and his phone cradled under his chin! I've had so many near misses I can't count!

in: Backlash as road safety group tells cyclists to leave one metre when passing parked cars “to avoid being hit if a door is opened” — but riders in disbelief at advice not telling motorists to use Dutch Reach and look properly + more on the live blog mdavidford 37 minutes ago

And that would be different to now how exactly?

in: “Very, very few people can break the speed limit on a bike”: James May slams Mr Loophole’s call for clampdown on ‘speeding’ cyclists, claiming problem is with illegal e-motorbikes and “nothing to do with cycling” Cycloid 42 minutes ago

Mr Loophole -"Thousands of cyclists breaking the rules" Me - "Millions of motorists breaking the rules" 70% of drivers in our village over the speed limit.

in: “Very, very few people can break the speed limit on a bike”: James May slams Mr Loophole’s call for clampdown on ‘speeding’ cyclists, claiming problem is with illegal e-motorbikes and “nothing to do with cycling” Boopop 48 minutes ago

I like James May. He always has sensible things to say about cycling and road safety.

in: “Very, very few people can break the speed limit on a bike”: James May slams Mr Loophole’s call for clampdown on ‘speeding’ cyclists, claiming problem is with illegal e-motorbikes and “nothing to do with cycling” chrisonabike 56 minutes ago

RE Bath cycle improvements - on my one foray about Bath on bike I noticed two things - first the usual UK incongruity of a "historic tourist attraction" with large flows of motor traffic round and through it. And second their odd "bus stop plus cycle lane" designs, which build out the whole area but ramp up the cycle lane to the level of waiting passengers. (No idea why they couldn't just have a standard bypass round the back of the bus waiting area if going to that much engineering anyway...) If I visit again I'd be delighted if somehow there was less of the first (fat chance). But ideally there would be no more of the second (just use standard designs already...)

in: “The focus is on illegal modifications, not every day cycling”: Met officers trained to distinguish between legal e-bikes and e-motorbikes in bid to “protect positive perceptions of cycling”; work starting as part of £752m plan + more on the live blog mdavidford 1 hour ago

"Search me - I'm just out for a ride Wait - no - I didn't mean ACTUALLY search me...!"

in: “I immediately felt like my teeth were gone”: Pro cyclist loses front teeth in cobbles crash; “You asked, we did”: Police celebrate £50 fine for driver “boldly using cycle lane as pretend VIP car parking”; Pothole pain + more on the live blog chrisonabike 1 hour ago

The comments on the "e-motorbike" story by "Ash Filmer" are ... remarkable! So much so I wonder if they're as they proport to be. However, while generally "we know them when we see them" I believe it can sometimes be difficult to distinguish, certainly for folks like the police for whom this is probably a niche policing subject.

in: “The focus is on illegal modifications, not every day cycling”: Met officers trained to distinguish between legal e-bikes and e-motorbikes in bid to “protect positive perceptions of cycling”; work starting as part of £752m plan + more on the live blog

Related Reviews

DMR VMAX clipless pedal review

Affordable, tough and attractive UK-friendly pedals, but clipping in can be a little vague

£110.000

Wolf Tooth Components CTRL clipless pedal review

Suprisingly supportive and lightweight pedals, but would benefit from a few pins

£189.000

Outlier Void pedal review

Unique but grippy and supportive pedals, though lacks effective sealing

£223.000

Favero Assioma Pro RS-2

Excellent double-sided power pedals that are light and reliable

£649.006